THE AUCKLAND HOSPITAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2817, 11 March 1908, Page 18

THE AUCKLAND HOSPITAL.

AN ALLEGED SCANDAL. (From Our Own Correspondent.) AUCKLAND. March 5. At the meeting of the Auckland Trades and Labour Council, held last evening, grave charges were prefened aganibt the management of the Auckland Hospital. The matter was brought up by Mr Henry, a delegate, who declared that a servant girl from Ponsonby had been oidered to the hospital on Saturday week by Dr Bedford. She went to the hospital, he alleged, carrjing with her a certificate from Dr liedford, but she \va6 told there was no room avail- , able, and &he would be admitted as coon as there was room. On the following Thur*>I daj the girl was very bad, and the hospital I authorities were communicated with, and she was admitted the next day. The girl had been in Auckland two years, but she happened to mention that she had been up ' | north on a short holiday, and this was taken down. " Half an hour after the trirl , I wa6 bathed and put in bed," Mr Henry \ [^declared, "the doctor came and ordered i her out of the hospital there and then." | | The girl was suffering from varicose veins. ' i She had enough money to take her to the I hospital, but none to pay her tram fare I ! back home, and she had to walk !as best she could from the hospital to Hargreaves street, off College Hill. | " They told her to go to the Northern Wairoa Hospital," he alleged. " Recently a young girl was sent to the hospital by the Health Officer (Dr Purdy), but she was sent away again to die." Suoh proceedings were monstrous. A Delegate : Brutal. Mr Henry then moved — " That this counoil deplores the condition of affairs and management as at present existing at the Auckland Hospital, and hopes that the Hospital Board will take steps to prevent such a thing happening again, as it is a menace and scandal to the citizens of Auckland that such a state of things should be allowed to exist in this enlightened and democratic- community." The motion was seconded by Mr Canham. Mr Peak said he had had some experience of the hospital, and he counselled caution. [ They ought to write to ihe secretary of the Hospital Board and ascertain why the ! young girl had been sent home, and also inquire about the ohild's case. They wanted to make sure of their ground before they I made a direct charge. The President (Mr A. Rosser) : What can justify sending a girl home like that? She I was already in bed, apparently. Mr Long thought that the days for suon a thing to occur in the hospital were past and gone. The commission was supposed to have cleared all that up. : Mr Peak, in referring to the commission, said that some of the officials who were the cause of the trouble were still at the hospital. "Those officials have too muoh say in the hospital management now," he declared. The President : If they have any reason able excuse it will be given to us. The motion was carried. Interviewed regarding the statement made at the Trades and Labour Council meeting as to hospital management. Mr M 'Knight, chairman of the board, said: "There apgeara tg beea a graye eaifiaJc^ aoma-

i whore. The position 6eems to be much exaggerated. The girl came to tho hospital suffering from varicose- veins, and the hospital officials understood from her that she had come from the north. As had been stated, she was bathed and put to bed, a proceeding adopted in the case of every patient admitted. Now it is well known by everyone that the accommodation at the hcspital is seriously taxed by the present outbreaks of typhoid in the city and suburbs, and the fever wards are absolutely full. Besides this, we understood this case to be out of our jurisdiction. The medical attendant told the girl of the position, and that the beds wore required for cases of a much more serious nature. She left the hospital quite cheerfully, and as if satisfied that the best course was being adopted. The hospital has at present so many typhoid patients that preparations have even been made to have the old detached fever wards made available for cases of emergency should tl.ey arise. When it comes to a case cf varicose veins, it must be remembered that such are seldom attended by a fatal termination, whereas in typhoid a delay of a day may be serious. As regards the girl's inability to obtain a tram fare to take her home, I can only say that if she had cared to ask the hospital mannger, or, in fact, you or me, or anybody else, she would have got it instantly." Regarding the case where it was alleged that a young girl was sent to the hospital by Dr Purdy and "sent away to die," Mr Knight pointed out that he was convinced that no 6uch thing had occurred. The allegation was extremely indefinite, and if, as he thought, it referred to a recent ease before the Hcspital Board, this had been threshed out, and finally settled some time previously.